Cutting machine



H. A. BALLARD CUTTING MACHINE Oct. 30, 1934.

Filed March 28, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. A. BALLARD CUTTING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 NVE TOR HMLLQ H. A. BALLARD CUTTING MACHINE Oct. 30, 1934.

Filed March 28, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 3

Oct. 30, 1934. H BALLARD 1,978,521

CUTTING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 4

Patented Oct. 30, 1934 1,978,521. I CUTTING MACHINE Harrie A. Ballard, Beverly, Mass., assignor to The Turner Tanning Machinery Company, Portland, Maine, 3 corporation'of Maine Application March 28, 1933, Serial NiJ.-663,162'

18 Claims.

"lfhisjinvention relates to machines for performing cutting operations upon hides, skins, leather and other similar pieces of work. While the invention is illustrated as embodied in a belt knife cutting machineparticularly adapted to fleshi ng operations upon hides" and skins, is to understood that the invention and various important features thereof may have other applications and uses.

1'0 'Hide's taken at random from animals of a given kind alwaysdiffer from each other in their thickness dimensions, sometimes toa very considerable degree. "The same is true of skins taken fromsmalleranimals. Furthermore, as

" a result of variations or imperfections" in fiaying operations, the material to be removed from the flesh surfaces of hides and skins will vary both in amount and in distribution. For these reasons a fleshing, machine of the belt knife less cutter.

type will operate to the best advantage if adjustment be made tosuit eachhide orskin pre-- sented theretofor a flushing operation. Accordingly itis an object of this invention to provide an knife cutting machine which will automatically adjust itself to each piece of work prior to cutting operations thereon and. which will be, at the same time,gof simple and durable construction. Pfirrther objects of the inventi'on are to insure proper'fee'ding' of the work and to facilitate introduction of the pieces of work into the machine by rendering it easy for the operator to determine upon the proper initial location of the Work with; respect tov the cutter.

To these ends and in accordance with an important featureof the invention, there is provided, "the illustrated construction, means, including a movable backing member for the wor toeffect calipering of a suitable portion of a piece of work and to position it in relation to the operative portion of an endless; cutter, in combination with means to maintain said backing member for the i work in calipered relation to said operative portion of the end- Henee, irrespective of the differences between various pieces of work as to their thickness dimensions adjustment is made instantaneously for each piece of work introduced into the ma'chine, thusyfacilitating to a marked degree cutting operations upon such pieces of Conveniently a gage member is arranged in fixed relation to the operative portion of the belt cutter and-means is provided for locking the movable work backin member again-st further movement toward the gage and cutter followingthe calipering operation. By this arrangement the Work will not be cut thinner than the calipered thickness dimension. Although the work backing member is heldyieldingly against movement away from saidgage and cutter, no movement of the work backing member takes place in a direction away from.

the gage and cutter since the Work piece is re-f' duced to calipered thickness before it reaches the work backing member. It follows that once the work backing member is set in caliperlng relation to the gage and'cutter it is maintained in such relation during cutting operations on a given portion of the work. lE'referably and as shown, one of the guide members commonly employed to maintain. the operative portion. of the belt knife cutter in fixed position is made to serve as a gaging means against which the work is pressed by said work backing member in the illustrated construction. By this arrangement.

the operative portion 01. the belt knife cutter, is maintained in its true alinement between. its

points of support, thus contributing greatly to its efficiency. 7 7

To facilitate introduction of pieces of work into the machine the work 'backingmember is conveniently constructed as a bed roll movable alternately between a workreceiv'ing position and a work presenting position with respect to the operative portion of the endless cutter, said bed roll being arranged to press a portion of the work against" a gaging surfaceon said guide. As illustrated, means for the endless cutter. V is preferably provided to fold'the work around a considerable portion of the surface of the bed roll thereby to increase the friction. between the work and the roll and thus insure proper feeding of the work.

An important feature of the invention resides in the provision of improved means for driving the bed roll, the said means comprising, in the illustrated machine, a vertical shaft associated with. one of theswing arms which carry the bed roll, said bed roll being arranged to be driven by said shaft through a clutch arranged to be,-

come operative just an instant beforework is presented to the cutting means. As shown, said clutch is controlled. by a cam stationary on the frame of the machine and arranged to engage a member on the clutch as the latter moves with the swing arm supporting the adjacent end offl the bed roll. This noveldriving means is com-- pact and highly effective for the purpose.

These and other important featuresof the invention and novel combinations of parts will now be described in detail 'in the specification and then pointed out more particularly'in the.

appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation partly in section of a fieshing. machine illustrating one embodi-' ment .of' the invention;

Fig; 2 is an end elevation looking from the right inFig. 1; i

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the bed at 20 and 22.

roll in work presenting position and showin more of the details of the machine.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation looking from the left in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a section along the line V-V of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view through the parts which contact with the work; and i I Fig. '7 is a detail view of part of the belt knife supporting means.

In the illustrated cutting machine which is designed more especially for fleshing operations upon hides and skins, there is provided an endless belt knife 16 arranged to be supported and driven by two pulleys 12 and 14, each of which has a shoulder 16 at its upper face to limit upward movement of the belt thereon. Uponreference to Fig. 1 it will be observed that pulley 12 is secured to a shaft 18 supported in bearings Surrounding the shaft 18 within the bearing 22 is a sleeve 24 secured to the shaft by a spline at 26 so that the shaft may move vertically within the sleeve 24 while secured for rotation therewith. Fastened to the sleeve 24 is a bevel gear 28 in mesh with a bevel gear 39 fixed to a shaft 32, the arrangement being such that upon rotation of shaft 32 rotary motion is transmitted to shaft 18 and hence to the pulley 12, thus causing travel of the belt knife 10. Pulley 14 is secured to a shaft 34 carried in bearings at 36 and 3,8. The upper end of each of the shafts 18 and 34 is provided with a sleeve 43 screw threaded exteriorly for engagement with an interiorly screw threaded portion of the respective bearings and 38 so that, upon rotation of the sleeves 40, the shafts 18 and 34 and the pulleys carried thereby may be adjusted vertically to take care of wear of the cutting edge of the endless belt knife 10. This adjustment of the sleeves 40 may be secured automatically or otherwise by means well known in the art and which forms no part of the present invention. To assist in supporting the belt knife 10 and to resist any tendency of the latter to move downwardly away from the pulleys 12 and 14 there are provided a plurality of supporting devices shown at in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 and in detail in Fig. 7. In Fig. 1 the lower or cutting edge of the knife 10 is shown resting in a relatively deep slot in a roller 52 rotatable on a shaft 54 in a shackle56 supported yieldingly by a spring 58 within a socket 60 adapted to be secured to the frame of the machine.

It will be observed (Figs. 1, 3 and 6) that the belt knife 10 has its operative run extending lengthwise of the front of the machine in a position to engage a piece of work passing over a bed roll 64. Furthermore, the operative run or portion of the belt knife 10, which coincides substantially at any given instant with the length dimension of thebed roll 64, is retained while it is operating upon a piece of work.

Hence, these members 46 engage with the upper, non-cutting edge of the belt knife 10. Conveniently the forward guide member or knife jaw 66 is provided with a concave surface '70 adapted to serve as a gage in fixed relation to the cutting edge of the knife 10. Hence when the bed roll 64 is moved to press a piece of work '72 against the surface '70 the work is calipered as to its thickness at the engaged line or space. Hence, if the bed roll be held in its initial gaging position with respect to the surface 70, the portion of the work below the knife 10in Fig. 6 will be reduced to the gaged thickness upon rotation of the bed roll 64 in a counterclockwise direction, all as indicated in said Fig. 6.

For supporting the piece of work 72 (Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 6) there is provided, as above stated, the bed roll 64 which also operates to present the work to the cutter 10 and feed it past the cutter to present successive portions of the work for cutting operations. Upon reference to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, it will be observed that the bed roll 64 is rotatably mounted by means of a shaft '74 at the upper ends of swing arms '76, '78 (Fig. 1) the said arms being rotatably mounted upon a stationary shaft carried by bearings 82, 84 in the frame of the machine. As shown particularly in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, swing arm '76 is s ially constructed to support a driving means or shaft T4 of the bed roll 64. As illustrated, the driving means comprises a sleeve 86 (Fig. 1) rotatable on the shaft 80 and arran ed to be driven continuously by means of a sprocket wheel 88 secured to the sleeve, a sprocket chain 90 engaging the sprocket wheel 88 and being also arranged to engage a second sprocket wheel 92 on the shaft 32 which is driven continuously while the machine is in operation by power means (not shown) but comprising a pulley 94 on the free end of the shaft 32. Fixed to the sleeve 86 is a bevel gear 96 in mesh with a bevel gear 98 secured to a vertical shaft 100 carried in bearings provided by the swing arm 76. Splined to an intermediate part of the vertical shaft 100 is a clutch member 102 which, while rotatable with the shaft, may move axially thereof by reason of the provision of the spline. Upon upward movement, the clutch member 102 is caused to engage a co-operating clutch member 108 splined to a sleeve 110 upon the shaft 100, said sleeve 110 having fixedly secured thereto at its upper end a bevel gear 112 arranged to be constantly in mesh with a bevel gear 114 secured to shaft '74 of the bed roll 64. Carried within a groove in the movable clutch member 102 is an annular member 116 held against rotation by pins 117 and having a projecting finger 118 (Figs. 1 and 4) adapted to engage and ride upon a stationary cam 120, fixed to the machine frame, as the swing arm 76 moves to the left in Fig. 4 in carrying the bed roll 64 to work presenting position with respect to the belt knife 10. Movement of the finger 118 up to the high point of the stationary cam 120 results in moving the clutch member 102 upwardly, against the tension of springs 121 (Figs. 2 and 3), into clutching engagement with the clutch member 108 on the sleeve 110 thus effecting rotation of the sleeve 110 and perforce of the shaft 74 of the bed roll 64.

When the bed roll 64 with a piece of work '72 thereon is pressed against the concave gaging surface '70 (Fig. 6) of the fixed knife jaw 66, another part of the work is pressed against a ring roll, the said ring roll comprising a relatively large number of rings mounted loosely upon a shaft 132 rotatably carried by a beam 134 mounted in the frame of the machine. For i lib '55: worm gear 196 secured to the shaft 162.

"stop member 1'72 drops into the opposite slot (Figs. 1, 3 and 4) on the shaft 32 through a backing each ring of the ring roll so that the former may yield upon presentation of the work, and particularly of unusually thick places in the work, there is provided a member 136 slidable within the beam 134 and carrying two small idler rolls 138, the said member 136 being provided with a socket to receive a spring 140 which normally holds the rolls 138 against the individual ring 130 of the ring roll. It will be understood that there are as many members 136 as there are rings 130. Means is provided for rotating the ring roll through its shaft 132, said means comprising a sprocket wheel 142 (Fig. 1) fixed to the shaft 32 and having a sprocket chain, indicated by dotted lines 143 in Fig. 1, which also passes around a sprocket wheel (not shown) on the shaft 132. The purpose of the ring roll, comprising rings 130, is to assist in feeding the piece of work in co-operation with thebed roll 64, the ring roll being so arranged as to increase the lap of the work on the sur face ofthe bed roll, the greater lap thus provided having the effect of increasing the friction between the work and the bed roll so that the work is fed more certainly than would otherwise be the case.

'For moving the bed roll 64 between work receivingland work presenting positions there is provided in the illustrated construction a pair of pitmen 150, 152, pitman (Figs. 2 and 3) being pivoted to swing arm '78 while pitman 152 (Fig. 4) is pivoted at 156 to swing arm '76. In this connection, it is pointed out that in Figs. 2 and 3 swing arm 78 is broken away in all its intermediate portion to show swing arm 76 in a sectional view. At its rear end pitman 152 is secured to a wrist. pin 158 on a wheel 160 secured to a shaft 162, while pitman 150 is secured to a wrist pin 164 carried by a wheel 166 also secured to the shaft 162. As shown most clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings, wheel 166 is provided with slots 1.68, 1'70 adapted to receive a stop member 1'72 carried by a lever 1'74 connected by a link 176 to a second lever 1'78 pivoted on the 1 machine frame at 180 and adapted to be operated by a foot treadle 182 having a tread portion 184. It will be clear that depression of the tread 184 will result in withdrawing the stop member 1'72 from the slot 170 in Fig. 3. At the I same time a movable clutch member having a pin and slot connection 191 with lever 174 is moved upwardly on a shaft 192 into clutching engagement with a clutch member 193 carried by a worm gear 194 arranged in mesh with a Hence, when the tread 184 is depressed, power means comprising the clutch members 190, 193 is rendered operative to drive the shaft 162. This shaft makesa one-half rotation whereupon the 168 in Fig. 3, stopping the machine with the bed roll in open position, as shown in Fig. 2. Hence, each time that the tread 184 is depressed the bed roll 64 is moved either to work receiving position (Fig. 2) or work presenting position (Figs; 3 and 4). For driving the vertical shaft 192 there is provided a horizontal shaft 197 rotatable in bearings on the frame of the machine and arranged to be driven from a sprocket wheel 198 sprocket chain 199 which engages also a sprocket wheel 201 on the shaft 197. On the end of the shaft 197 opposite to that which carries the sprocket wheel 201 there is secured a bevel gear 203 (Fig. 1) arranged in mesh with a bevel gear 205 splined to the shaft 192.

As stated above, the swing arms '76 and '78 which support the bed roll 64 are oscillated to move the bed roll 64 between work receiving and work presenting position with respect to the belt knife 10 by means of pitmen 150, 152 operated from the shaft 162. These pitmen 150, 152 are, in the illustrated machine, of special construction, as will now be described, it being understood that the description of one" applies equally to the other. Upon reference to Fig. 3, it will be observed that pitman 150 comprises a rear section 200 and a front section 202, the latter being slidable on a reduced portion 204 of the former, and said sections 200, 262 being yieldingly held together by a spring 206. It will be readily understood that the spring 206 permits the bed roll 64 to accommodate itself to pieces of work of various thicknesses calipered between 1 said bed roll and the surface '70 on the fixed gage member 66; (Fig. 6). In order to hold the bed roll 64 against movement toward the gage 66 in case portions of the work tninner than the initially calipered portion present themselves between the bed roll and the gage 66, it is neces sary to lock the two sections 200, 202 against movement toward each other at the instant that the bed roll presses the work firmly but yieldingly against the gage 66. construction this is accomplished by the provision of a rack bar 208 (Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5) secured by screws 209 (Fig. 5) to the section 200 of the pitman 150 or 152 with which meshes a pinion 210 carried by a shaft 212 mounted in a bracket 214 rigid with pitman section 202. While the bed roll 64 is in open position the section 202 is locked against inward movement on the section 200. But during the latter part of the movement of the bed roll 64 toward the gage member 66 the pinion 210 is free to move along the rack bar 208, thus permitting adjustment of the bed roll to the thickness of the work. At the instant, however, that the work is properly calipered between the bed roll 64 and gage 66, the pinion 210 is locked against rotation in a direction which wouldpermit inward movement of section 202 on section 200, thus holding the bed roll 64 in its position as determined by the thickness of the calipered ter fails to reduce thicker portions by slicing them off. As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, this locking means comprises a pair of pawls 216, 218 adapted to engage teeth on a ratchet wheel 220 secured to the shaft 212 to whichthe pinion 210 is also secured. For controlling the pawls 216,

218 there is provided a pin 224 rigid with the frame of the machine and so placed as to engage, at the proper time, tail portions 226, 228, respectively, of pawls 216, 218 whereby the pawls are caused to release the ratchet wheel 220 just before the work calipering operation so that pitman section 202 may move away from or toward section 200, as determined by the thickness of the work engaged between said roll 64 and gage 66, the springs 206 serving to insure that the roll 64 is moved with sufficient firmness against the calipered portion of the work. Just as this calipering operation is completed the pawls 216, 218 move beyond the pin 224 due to downward movement of pitman 152 (or 150) In the illustrated 1 from position shown in Fig. 4 to that of pitman 150 in Fig. 3 durin rotation of wheel 160 (or 166). The pawls are released by pin 224 so that they promptly engage the ratchet wheel 220, thus locking the pitman sections 200, 202 against movement toward each other.

As the bed roll 64 is moving toward work presenting position with respect to the gage member 66, it presses the work against a feed roll 230 having a shaft 232 mounted in blocks 23% slidable vertically in the frame of the machine, springs 236 being provided to urge the feed roll yieldingiy in a downward direction with the result that the work is yieldingiy gripped between the bed roll 64 and the feed roll 230. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the shaft 232 of the feed roll 230 is driven from the pulley 238 fixed to the shaft 32, a belt 240 being engaged with said pulley 238 and with a pulley 242 upon a shaft 24a connected by a universal joint 24.6 (Fig. l) with shaft 232, it being understood that the feed roll 230 is thus driven con tinuously.

In operating the machine a piece of work, such as a hide 72, is placed upon the bed ro while the latter is in work receiving position, as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, approximately 2. half of the hide hanging down on each side of the bed roll. In positioning the work on the bed roll the operator will exercise a reasonable amount of care to see that a portion of the work of average thickness is so positioned as to come in contact with the gage (56 when the bed roll 54 moves into work presenting position with respect to. said gage, and that no extra thick portion is so positioned. Upon depressing the treadle 184 the bed roll is caused to move to the described work presenting position whereupon the work is calipered between said bed roll or and the concave surface 79 upon the gage member 66. Just as the bed roll reaches this gaging position the two pitman sections 200, 202 are locked against further movement toward each other, thus holding the bed roll in its gaging position. Hence, as the hide 72 is fed outwardly in the direction of the arrows in Figs. 3 and 6 the traveling knife 10 will cut the portions of the hide passing thereby to substantially uniform thickness by seve-ing the thicker portions from the hide. This is known as fleshing the hide or skin since it consists in removing portions of excess thickness such as fatty or connective tissue. Where the head end of the hide is presented in the position shown in Fig. 6, the cutter will slice on" portions of the hide substance to reduce the unusually heavy neck and head portions to the thickness of the body portion of the same hide or skin, it being understood that a portion of the body part of average thickness was positioned upon the bed roll 64 to serve as a calipering portion of the work. After the piece of Work has been operated upon, the machine is caused to open by tripping the treadle 184. Following this the work is reversed and again placed upon the bed roll 6% so that the remaining portion of the work may be fleshed, this being accomplished upon de-- pressing the treadle 184 for the third time. At the end of the operation the treadle is de pressed for the fourth time to cause the bed roll to move to work receiving position.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for operating upon hides,

skins, leather and other similar pieces of work, an endless belt knife having a portion to operate on a piece of work, means, including a movable backing member for the work, to effect calipering of a suitable portion of the work and to position it in relation to the operative portion of the endless knife, and means to maintain the backing member for the work in calipered relation to the operative portion of the endless knife during a cutting operation.

2. In a machine for operating upon hides, skins, leather and other similar pieces of work, an endless belt knife having a portion arranged to operate on a piece of work, a backing member for the work movable toward said knife, means including said backing member to caliper the work and locate it in a fixed relation to the operative portion of the knife, and means operable in timed relation to the movement of the backing in he? to maintain the backing member in can cc. relation to the knife following the calipering operation.

3.111 a machine for operating upon hides, skins, leather and other similar pieces of work, an endless belt knife having a portion arranged to operate on a piece of work, a gage supported in fixed relat n to the operative portion of the knife, a be ng member movable to press a piece of went against the gage in a calipering operation, and means to lock the backing member against further movement toward the gage following the calipering operation.

i. In a machine for operating upon hides, skins, leather and other similar pieces of work, an endless belt knife having a portion arranged to operate on a piece of work, a gage supported in fixed relation to the operative portion of the knife, a backing member movable to press a piece of work against the gage in a calipering operation, means to hold the backing member yieldingly against movement away from the gage, and means to lock the backing member against further movement toward the gage following the calipering operation.

5. In a machine for operating upon hides, skins, leather and other similar pieces of work, an endless belt knife having a portion arranged to operate on a piece of work, a gage mounted in fixed relation to the operative portion of the knife, a work support movable to press a piece of work against the gage to caliper the same, means to hold the work support yieldingly against movement away from the gage, and means operating in timed relation to the movement of the work support to lock the work support against further movement toward the gage following the calipering operation.

6. In a machine for operating upon hides, skins, leather and other similar pieces of work, an endless belt knife having a portion arranged to operate on a piece of work, a fixed guide for the operative portion of the knife having a surface arranged to serve as a gage, a bed roll to support pieces of work, means to move the bed roll to press the work yieldingly against said gaging surface in a calip rlng operation upon the piece of work, and means operative, after the calipe ing operation, to lock the bed roll against further. movement toward said gaging surface.

7.111 a machine for operating upon hides, skins, leather and other similar pieces of work, an endless belt knife for operating on a piece of work, a gage supported in fixed relation to the knife, a bed roll movable to press a portion of the work against the gage in a calipering operation, and means operable in timed relation to the calipering movement of the bed roll to lock the bed roll against movement toward the gage following the calipering operation.

8. In a machine for operating upon hides, skins, leather and other similar pieces of work, an endless belt knife for operating on a piece of work, a gage supported in fixed relation to the knife, a bed roll movable to press a piece of work against the gage in a calipering ope-ration,

means to hold the bed roll yieldingly against movement away from the gage, a cam stationary on the frame of the machine, and means con trolled by said cam for locking the bed roll against movement toward the gage following the calipering operation.

9. In a cutting machine, an endless belt knife having a portion arranged to operate on pieces of work, a work support alternately movable between a work receiving position and a work presenting position with respect to the operative portion of said knife, a stationary gage member in fixed relation to the operative portion of the knife, and means controlled by the work to move said work support to operative position with the work pressed against said gage.

10. In a cutting machine, an endless belt knife having a portion arrangedto operate on pieces of work, a gage in fixed relation to the operative portion of said endless knife, a work support movable to press a piece of work against said gage, means to move the work support yieldingly into co-operative relation with respect to said gage in a calipering operation, and means comprising a member mounted on said work support moving means to lock the work support against movement toward said gage following the calipering operation.

11. In a cutting machine, an endless belt knife having a portion arranged in a vertical plane to operate on pieces of work, a fixed gage serving also as a guide for the operative portion of said endless knife, said gage having a concave surface, a bed roll horizontally movable to press a portion of a piece of work against said concave surface, means to move the bed roll yieldingly into work pressing relation with respect to said concave surface in a calipering operation, and means to lock the work support against movement toward said gage following the calipering operation.

12. In a cutting machine, an endless belt knife arranged with an operative portion thereof in a vertical plane, a fixed guide member for said operative portion of the endless knife, said guide having a surface arranged to serve as a gage in fixed relation to the knife, a bed roll movable to press a piece of work against said gaging surface, said bed roll being carried by a pair of swing arms, means connected to said swing arms to move the bed roll alternately between a work receiving and a work presenting position with respect to said operative portion of the belt knife, said last-mentioned means including a pitman having yieldingly connected parts whereby said bed roll is moved yieldingly to work presenting position to caliper the thickness dimension of pieces of work, and means to lock the bed roll against movement toward the gage following the calipering operation.

13. In acutting machine, a cutter, a bed roll movable alternately between a work receiving and a work presenting position with respect to said cutter, a pair of swing arms arranged to support said bed roll, means connected to said swing arms to move said bed roll, a vertical shaft associated with one of the swing arms, and connections between said shaft and said bed roll to drive the latter, said connections including a clutch member arranged to connect said shaft to the bed roll in timed relation to the movement of the latter toward said cutter.

14. In a cutting machine, a cutter, a bed roll movable alternately between a work receiving and a work presenting position with respect to said cutter, a pair of swing arms arranged to support said bed roll, means connected to said swing arms to move said bed roll, a vertical shaft journaled in one of the swing arms, connections between said shaft and said bed roll to drive the latter, said connections including a clutch member mounted on said shaft, and a stationary cam arranged to operate said clutch member to connect said shaft to the bed roll just as the latter reaches work presenting position with respect to said cutter.

15. In a machine for operating upon hides, skins, leather and other similar pieces of work, a cutter for operating on a piece of work, a gage supported in fixed relation to the cutter, a bed roll movable alternately between a work receiving position and a work presenting position with respect to said gage and cutter, swing arms for supporting said bed roll, means including a vertical shaft within one of the swing arms to cause rotation of the bed roll, said means also including a clutch member, and a cam stationary on the frame of the machine arranged to initiate operation of the bed roll driving means just as the latter has pressed the work against the gage.

16. In a machine for operating upon hides, skins, leather and other similar pieces of work, an endless belt knife having its operative portion arranged in a vertical plane, a gage supported in fixed relation to the operative portion of the belt knife, a bed roll arranged to press a portion of the work against said gage and against the operative portion of the knife, swing arms arranged to support the bed roll, and means mounted in one of the swing arms to drive the respect to said gage and knife, a feed roll ar- 7 ranged to cooperate with the bed roll in feeding the work past the knife, and means self adjusting with respect to the work and arranged below the knife to press the work against the bed roll to aid in the feeding thereof.

18. In a machine for operating upon hides,

skins, leather and other similar pieces of work, an endless belt knife having an operative portion arranged in a vertical plane, a gage in fixed relation to the operative portion of the knife,

a bed roll movable alternately to a work receiving position and to a work presenting position with respect to said gage and knife, a feed roll arranged to cooperate with the bed roll in feeding the work past the knife, and a ring roll having yieldingly mounted ring members arranged to press the work against the bed roll to aid in feeding the work past the knife.

HARRIE A. BALLARD. 

